Latest News
Keeping Up With Social Security
With inflation roaring and the cost of our basic daily needs skyrocketing, it’s easy to put thoughts of our future retirement on the back burner. But although our current myriad national issues may consume much of our attention, it’s also…
Speeding Up Social Security Disability Claims
As most who have applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits will tell you, it often takes 3 to 5 months to get a decision from the Social Security Administration. And to add to that frustration, about 2/3rds of…
Improving Customer Service at the Social Security Administration
We hardly need to remind anyone who has attempted to engage directly with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in recent years that customer service has been (to be kind) very challenging. Excruciatingly long telephone wait times, up to an hour…
Things to Know Before Claiming Social Security
Although this article describes several important factors as “secret,” they are hardly so. But they are, nevertheless, very important points to know before claiming your Social Security benefits. Specifically, the age at which you claim carries a lot of weight…
Should You Take a Lump Sum Pension Distribution?
Many employers offer those contemplating retirement an option to take their retirement benefits as a lump-sum, rather than choosing the lifetime monthly payout option. Getting this large lump-sum distribution can be very tempting to those about to enter retirement, but…
How To Lose Social Security Benefits
Most people believe that when they claim their Social Security benefit, the amount they receive is sacrosanct and unaffected by outside forces. But you may be surprised to find that your Social Security benefits can, indeed, be affected in what…
Alzheimer’s Disease and Medicare
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), almost 6 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, nearly all of whom are age 65 or older. That’s a staggering statistic, but fortunately Medicare provides coverage for most Alzheimer’s-related medical care –…
Inflation’s Devastating Impact on Social Security Benefits
The release of another month of terrible inflation news has prompted a steady deluge of news reports and pundit forecasts about what the 2023 COLA calculation might bring for those drawing Social Security benefits. But there’s another side to this…
New Social Security Filers: Some Thoughts on Approach
If you are now on your final approach to the Social Security, but haven’t made the big decision on when to begin your benefits, there are some important things you should consider at this point. The Motley Fool’s Maurie Backman,…
Retirement Requires More than Social Security
Social Security is designed to help you in retirement, but not to necessarily to meet all your financial needs during that phase of your life. In fact, by its very design, Social Security retirement benefits are generally intended to replace…